Bernard Tomic labels Lleyton Hewitt a ‘liar’ as tennis stoush continues
The back and forth between Lleyton Hewitt and Bernard Tomic continues with the ostracised Aussie returning serve to claims he blackmailed and threatened family members. He’s spoken exclusively to Leo Schlink.
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Bernard Tomic has called Lleyton Hewitt a liar, denying he has ever threatened the Davis Cup captain’s family.
The Queensland outcast again admitted he had told Hewitt he would “knock you out if you come one metre from me or try to talk to me”, as revealed by the Herald Sun on Wednesday.
“I have never threatened his family,” Tomic told the Herald Sun.
“Nice, Lleyton. To think how low of a person you actually and (it’s) why the Australian public never liked you.
“I got nothing to do with your family and I don’t care what’s wrong with you, you liar.”
Tomic’s latest comments follow an extraordinary press conference conducted by Davis Cup captain Hewitt on Thursday night during which he sensationally claimed Tomic had blackmailed him and his close family.
Hewitt also said there was no chance Tomic would ever play Davis Cup again under his leadership.
Speaking after his Australian Open doubles exit, Hewitt said he had cut all contact with Tomic following the alleged abuse over the past 18 months. Hewitt said he tried to help Tomic — who this week criticised his Davis Cup and Open wildcard player selection policy — but believed the 26-year-old former Australian No. 1 was now a lost cause.
Hewitt claimed he received multiple threats from Tomic.
“Both (physical and verbal) — blackmail and physical,” Hewitt said.
“The threats that I’ve received for me and my family that I’ve had had for a year and half now, I don’t think anyone would reach out to a person who speaks like that.
“For me, it was the abuse I copped from him at the end. I drew a line in the sand and I haven’t spoken to him since.
“He won’t play Davis Cup while I have anything to do with it.”
Hewitt said he didn’t feel threatened by Tomic’s abuse but was frustrated after trying to help the world No. 88 and one-time No. 17.
Hewitt went on to describe Tomic as “a clown” and lamented the amount of time he had spent trying to help the 26-year-old.
“For me, the biggest frustration is that I really went out of my way to help him,” Hewitt said.
“I spent a lot of time with him at a lot of tournaments and tried to get a coaching structure and physical team around him to give him the best opportunity but at the end of the day he kept making the wrong mistakes.
“Deep down, Bernie knows what I’ve done for him ... for Bernie to come out and have a go but more to get all of his facts wrong, that’s probably the most disappointing thing.”